0%

In week 1 of Interior Design Masters, Alan Carr tasked us with designing tiny beach huts on Dorset's Jurassic Coast.

Head judge Michelle Ogundehin asked to see our signature styles, but also wanted to see evidence of sustainability.

Other things to consider were:
- a changing area
- food prep area
- indoor and outdoor seating
- storage

I began by looking at layout and how to address the practical elements of the space. As the view is such an important part of these huts there was no question in my mind that the seating should be at the front of the hut.

To address the storage issue I really wanted to avoid doing bench storage, as this is commonly what has been done in the past series during beach hut week.

I LOVED the idea of a conversation pit to really add to the rock & roll maximalist aesthetic, so to enhance this feeling I put in a false floor in the rear half and added a trap door for storage.

I planned to have kitchen workspace run across the back wall with a sink in the centre to act as a focal point. I sourced an upcycled barrel and had a hole cut into the side to enable me to connect a water pump system. I then used a wooden fruit bowl with a plastic inner coating to use as my sink by drilling a hole into the centre of it and connecting the pipes.

I used a door found on marketplace for £15 to use as my kitchen worktop and a copper tap from an online tap specialist to finish it off.

I also used pallets found in the street to create the base of my conversation pit seating.

To bring in my signature rock & roll maximalist style I wanted to incorporate animal prints. As well as the zebra print fabric for the seating I hand-painted the floor with zebra stripes and wallpapered the ceiling with leopard print paper.

The finishing touches were my frames, bought from my local antiques dealer, then we were asked to do a 'beach combing' challenge, where I used netting, shells, cork buoys, a rusty chain and wine bottles to create the decor bits that completed the design.

You can watch my journey on Interior Design Masters every Tuesday at 8pm on BBC1, or catch up Wednesday's at 8pm on BBC Three. Or catch up anytime on iPlayer!